News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers

January 15, 2014

The 49ers signed two more players to reserve/future deals: safety D.J. Campbell, who played at Cal, and punter/kicker Colton Schmidt, who played at UC Davis. On Tuesday, they signed two wide receivers, David Reed andDeMarco Sampson, as well as defensive tackle Christian Tupou, who played at Grant High School before attending USC. Players signed to reserve/future deals will compete for roster spots during the offseason.

Campbell (6-0, 205) was a seventh-round pick by the Panthers in 2012. He was inactive for the first 11 regular season contests that year, but started four of the final five games at strong safety. The following offseason he lost his spot to Mike Mitchell and was waived. The Dolphins picked him up, and he ended up playing in three games this past season.

The 49ers' starting strong safety, Donte Whitner, will be a free agent in March. The 49ers have Craig Dahl and C.J. Spillman in reserve. But a young safety they liked, Michael Thomas, was snatched off their practice squad last month by the Dolphins.

Schmidt spent training camp with the 49ers. He's primarily a punter but also specializes in kickoffs. The Browns signed Schmidt after he was released at the end of the preseason.

MATTHEW BARROWS

Matt was born in Blacksburg, Va., and attended the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1995, went to Northwestern for a journalism degree a year later, and got his first job at a South Carolina daily in 1997. He joined The Bee as a Metro reporter in 1999 and started covering the 49ers in 2003. His favorite player of all time is Darrell Green.